Snore alarm



G. J. WILSON May 7, 1963 SNORE ALARM 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Feb. 2, 1962 INVENTOR. GEOEGE c/ [0/4. $0M

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United States Patent 3,089,130 SNORE ALARM George J. Wilson, 186 Benham Road, Groton, Qonn. Filed Feb. 2, 1962, Ser. No. 170,733 Claims. (Cl. 340-279) This invention relates to alarm devices, and more particularly to a device for awakening a sleeper when he begins to snore without disturbing other people in the same room.

A main object of the invention is to provide a novel and improved anti-snore device for awakening a sleeper responsive to his snoring, the device being relatively simple in construction, being easy to install, and providing an effective alarm action which will cause a sleeper to awake but which will not disturb other persons in the same area.

A further object of the invention is to provide an automatic awakening device for jarring or shaking a sleeper when he begins to snore, the device involving relatively inexpensive components, being reliable in operation, and being adjustable so that it will operate automatically in response to a signal of any predetermined level of intensity.

A still further object of the invention is to provide an improved anti-snore device which operates to awaken a sleeper when he starts to snore, the device being relatively compact in size, being inconspicuous in appearance, and being silent in its operation.

Further advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following description and claims, and from the accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIGURE 1 is a horizontal cross sectional view taken through the head board of a bed provided with an improved antisnore attachment constructed in accordance with the present invention.

FIGURE 2 is a vertical cross sectional view taken substantially on the line 2-2 of FIGURE 1 and showing the anti-snore device in operation.

FIGURE 3 is an enlarged vertical cross sectional view taken substantially on the line 3-3 of FIGURE 1.

FIGURE 4 is an enlarged vertical cross sectional view taken substantially on the line 44 of FIGURE 1, but showing the solenoid in its normally deenergized condition.

FIGURE 5 is a schematic electrical wiring diagram showing the circuit connections of the anti-snore device illustrated in FIGURES 1 to 4.

Referring to the drawings, 11 designates a bed having a head board 12 rising a substantial distance above the head portion of the bed and provided with the horizontal plate-like top wall 13. Designated at 15 is a rigid board member of generally rectangular shape and formed at the intermediate portion of its rear edge with a rectangular lug .16 to the bottom of which is secured a vertical solenoid 17. The solenoid 17 is provided with an axially movable plunger 18 provided with the upwardly extending rod element 19 and with the enlarged bottom abutment head 20. Secured on the rod member 19 at a location spaced from the main portion of the plunger 18 is an abutment collar '21 which limits the downward movement of the rod member 19' to the position thereof shown in FIGURE 4, namely, to the normal position thereof with the solenoid 17 deenergized.

Hinged to the forward margin of the plate member 15 is an outer plate member 22 extending rearwardly over the first plate member 15 and overlying the top end of the plunger rod 19. Said plunger rod has secured to its top end the transversely extending shaft element 23, and journaled on said shaft element on opposite sides of the plunger rod are respective rollers 24, 24 which supportingly underlie the hinged board 22. Thus, when the solenoid 17 is deenergized, the plunger 18 is in the lowered position thereof shown in FIGURE 4 and the board 22 is likewise in its lowered position. When the solenoid 17 becomes energized, the plunger 18 is elevated to the position thereof shown in FIGURE 3, causing the board 22 to be similarly elevated, the elevation of board 22 being relatively rapid, since the solenoid 17 immediately elevates its plunger 18 responsive to the energization of the solenoid.

A suitable metal wear plate 25 may be secured in the underside of the hinged board 22 at the area of engagement of the rollers 24, 24 therewith, as shown in FIG- URES 3 and 4.

As shown in FIGURE 2, the plate members 15 and 22 are adapted to be placed on the head portion of the bed to underlie a pillow 26. Designated at 27 is a microphone which is mounted on a suitable bracket'28, said bracket being provided with the clamping structure 29 including a clamping screw 30', said clamping structure 29 being generally G-shaped, as shown in FIGURE 2, and being adapted to receive the forward marginal portion of top Wall 13 of the head board assembly 12. The bracket 28 may thus be fastened to the head board top wall 13; by tightening the clamping screw 30. The bracket assembly is of the conventional adjustable type, including adjustable joints 33 and 34 for suitably positioning the microphone '27, for example, for arranging the microphone so that it will be adjacent to the face of a sleeper whose head rests on the pillow 26, as illustrated in FIGURE 2.

Designated at 35 is a sensitive relay which is mounted in any convenient location, for example, on the lower portion of the head board 12, the relay having the normally open contacts 36 and 37. As shown in FIGURE 5, the solenoid 17 is connected to the conductors 38 and 39 of a conventional line cord 40 through the contacts 36 and 37 of relay 35.

The microphone 27 is connected by a suitable cable 42 to the input of a conventional audio amplifier 43. The relay 35 is connected to the output of the amplifier 43 by the wires 45 and 46, the amplifier being provided with suitable gain-adjusting controls 47, so that its gain may be adjusted to provide a sufficient output current to operate the relay 35 responsive to reception of sound energy of a predetermined level of intensity by the microphone 27. Thus, in the arrangement illustrated in FIGURE 2, when the sleeper begins to snore, the relay 35 becomes energized, due to the reception of the sound energy by the microphone 27 and the action :of the amplifier 43. The amplifier 43 is adjusted to provide the required amount of output current to energize relay 35 when the sound energy is at a predetermined minimum level of intensity. When the relay 35 becomes energized it closes its contacts 36 and 37, thus completing the energizing circuit for the solenoid 17, which immediately elevates its plunger 18, delivering a sharp upward impulse of force to the hinged board 22. This shakes or jars the sleeper, causing the sleeper to awaken. When the sleeper is thus awakened, he becomes aware of the fact that he is snoring.

The amplifier 43 and the solenoid 17 are of conventional types adapted to be energized from an ordinary household alternating current power. The amplifier 43 is provided with the supply cable 48, similar to the supply cable 40' associated with the solenoid 17.

What is claimed is:

1. In combination, a bed, head-supporting means on said bed, a pair of hingedly connected plate-like rigid members disposed beneath said head-supporting means, a solenoid secured to one of said plate-like rigid members and being provided with a movable armature element engaging the other rigid plate-like member so as to enddenly change the angle between said plate-like members responsive to energization of the solenoid, sound-responsive means mounted relatively close to said headasupporting means, whereby toreceive sound at close range from a sleeper whose head is resting on said head-supporting means, and means to energize said solenoid responsive to the reception of a relatively loud sound by said soundresponsive means.

2. In combination, a bed, headsupporting means on said bed, a pair of hingedly connected rigid plate-like leaf members disposed v beneath said head-supporting means, a solenoid secured to the lowermost leaf member and being provided with an upwardly projecting plunger element engaging the other leaf member so as to suddenly change the angle between said plate-like leaf members responsive to energizationof the solenoid, sound-responsive means mounted relatively close to said head-supporting means, whereby to receive sound at close range from a sleeper whose head is resting on said headesuppor-ting means, and means to energize said solenoid responsive to the reception of a relatively loud sound by said sound responsive means.

3. In combination, a bed, headesupporting means on said bed, a pair of hingedly connected rigid plate-like leaf members disposed beneath said head-supporting means, a solenoid secured to the lowermost leaf member and being provided with an upwardly projecting plunger element engaging the bottom surface of the other plate-like leaf member, said plunger element being moved upwardly so as to suddenly elevate said other plate-like leaf member responsive to energization of the solenoid, sound-responsive means mounted relatively close to said head-supporting means, whereby to receive sound at close range from a sleeper whose head is resting on said head-supporting means, and means to energize said solenoid responsive to the reception of a relatively loud sound by said soundresponsive means.

4. In combination, a bed, head-supporting means on said bed, a pair of hingedly connected rigid plate-like leaf members disposed beneath said head-supporting means, a solenoid secured to the lowermost plate-like leaf member and being provided with an upwardly projecting plunger having a roller journaled at its top end portion supportingly engaging the bottom surface of the other rigid plate-like leaf member, said plunger element being moved upwardly so as to suddenly elevate the other platelike leaf member responsive to enengization of the solenoid, sound-responsive means mounted relatively close to said headsupporting means, whereby to receive sound at close range from a sleeper whose head is resting on said head-supporting means, and means to energize said solenoid responsive to the reception of a relatively loud sound by said sound-responsive means.

5. In combination, a bed, head-supporting means on said bed, a pair of rigid plate-like leaf members disposed beneath said head-supporting means, means hingedly connecting said plate-like leaf members at their edges, a solenoid vertically secured to the lowermost leaf member at a location relativelyv remote from the hingedly connected edges, said solenoid having an upwardly projecting substantially vertical movable plunger element provided at its top end with roller means supportingly engaging the bottom surface of the uppermost leaf member so as to suddenly elevate said head-supporting means responsive to energization of said solenoid, sound-responsive means mounted relatively close to said head-supporting means, whereby to receive sound at close range from a sleeper whose head is resting on said head-supporting means, and means to energize said solenoid responsive to the reception of a relatively loud sound by said soundresponsive means.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 516 ,6 14 Seamen Mar. 13, 1894 1,762,973 Frederick June 10, 1930 2,284,040 Caldwell May 26, 1942 3,087,499 Cummins, June 5, 1962 

5. IN COMBINATION, A BED, HEAD-SUPPORTING MEANS ON SAID BED, A PAIR OF RIGID PLATE-LIKE LEAF MEMBERS DISPOSED BENEATH SAID HEAD-SUPPORTING MEANS, MEANS HINGEDLY CONNECTING SAID PLATE-LIKE LEAF MEMBERS AT THEIR EDGES, A SOLENOID VERTICALLY SECURED TO THE LOWERMOST LEAF MEMBER AT A LOCATION RELATIVELY REMOTE FROM THE HINGEDLY CONNECTED EDGES, SAID SOLENOID HAVING AN UPWARDLY PRO-JECTING SUBSTANTIALLY VERTICAL MOVABLE PLUNGER ELEMENT PROVIDED AT ITS TOP END WITH ROLLER MEANS SUPPORTINGLY ENGAGING THE BOTTOM SURFACE OF THE UPPERMOST LEAF MEMBER SO AS TO SUDDENLY ELEVATE SAID HEAD-SUPPORTING MEANS RESPONSIVE TO ENERGIZATION OF SAID SOLENOID, SOUND-RESPONSIVE MEANS MOUNTED RELATIVELY CLOSE TO SAID HEAD-SUPPORTING MEANS, WHEREBY TO RECEIVE SOUND AT CLOSE RANGE FROM A SLEEPER WHOSE HEAD IS RESTING ON SAID HEAD-SUPPORTING MEANS, AND MEANS TO ENERGIZE SAID SOLENOID RESPONSIVE TO THE RECEPTION OF A RELATIVELY LOUD SOUND BY SAID SOUNDRESPONSIVE MEANS. 